Volkswagen's core brand is expanding its electric range upwards and unveiled the new ID.7 sedan on Monday. The almost five-metre-long car is expected to achieve ranges of up to 700 kilometres in its higher equipment variant and will be offered with modern networking and display technology. It covers the upper middle class after the Wolfsburg-based company launched its series of pure electric cars with models such as the ID.3 compact car and the ID.4 small SUV.
Hopes are pinned on China
The ID.7 was shown in Berlin and other cities, but it will also be on display at the Shanghai Motor Show this week. On the one hand, the target group is buyers in Europe and America. However, VW is hoping above all for customers in its most important market, China, where the manufacturer already offers the large SUV ID.6. The successor model, the ID.7, is to be available in the People's Republic and European countries from autumn, and in North America from 2024.
The ID.5 is available as an SUV coupé. One of Volkswagen's most important model launches last year was the ID.Buzz electric bus. In addition, the production version of the ID.2026 small car, which was recently presented as a study, is to be ready by 2 at the latest, and a mini model for less than 20,000 euros is also being developed. Climate activists have long been calling for not only larger vehicles to be equipped with alternative drives - VW had been criticized for initially relying on more expensive e-cars.
The share of all-electric cars at Volkswagen Passenger Cars is expected to reach at least 80 percent of vehicles delivered in Europe by the end of this decade, and ten new electric models are planned for 2026. According to the company, the ID.7 will have the role of "electrifying long-haul routes", among other things. It will receive the largest battery of all models in the main division to date. VW will build the European and North American variants of the ID.7 at the Emden plant from the second half of the year. The China variant is emerging in the People's Republic itself.